Starlight Ride on Verde Canyon Railroad
Description
Hop aboard the Verde Canyon Railroad for a 4-hour rail journey through the untouched and unspoiled Verde Valley. With first class seating, you will enjoy unobstructed views of Arizona’s geological wonders, wildlife, and archaeological finds of the ancient Sinagua people who once lived in the area. The Verde Canyon Railroad offers Starlight and Moonlight excursions on select Fridays and Saturdays May through September, departing the depot during the cooler temperatures of later afternoon and traveling through sunset and into the moon glow of twilight. Sandwiched between two protected national forests and adjacent to the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness, Verde Canyon Railroad brings its passengers into a untamed and unspoiled terrain, the exceedingly rare ribbon where high desert meets the river.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Make your way to the Verde Canyon Railroad Train Depot in Clarkdale, Arizona, not far from Sedona, to begin your Verde Canyon Railroad Starlight adventure. This rail adventure offers a wilderness train ride through the remote Verde Canyon which is known for its picturesque setting and abundant wildlife. Though it’s possible to hike in the canyon, by far the easiest way to experience it is by riding this scenic wilderness train. The train is made up of exquisitely-renovated passenger coaches and open-air viewing cars pulled by vintage locomotives and travels a route along the Verde River between Clarkdale and Perkinsville. After embarking from the Clarkdale depot, sit back for a 4-hour, 40-mile round trip that includes views of historic mining sites, geological wonders, Sinagua Indian cliff dwellings and wildlife from bald eagles to antelope.
At the depot, be sure to visit the John Bell Museum, home to the railroad's history and artifacts from its early days, as well as a wealth of information on Clarkdale, Jerome and the Yavapai-Apache Nation.
The train runs on the same tracks that were created following the Verde River back in 1911. The river is visible for most of your journey.
SOB Canyon and the 150 ft tall bridge are highlights of the trip. Looking back from the bridge and down the canyon is simply gorgeous!
Discover the history of Perkinsville Ghost Town through on-board commentary on your train journey. This is the turn-around point of your trip.
You'll ride past Tuzigoot National Monument on your train journey.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Infant age is 0-1 year. Any guest aged 1 and over will be charged an adult rate. Guests cannot board the train without a paid ticket
Reviews(112)
It was epic and worth it. Great service and experience. Train was spotless and well served. Bartender was great.
Dan, you had us at "Epic and worth it"! Thanks for riding with us and recommending us.
The trip and the exposure to nature is wonderful. The food program that ‘s included is a disaster. Very wasteful and detracts from the trip. The guides on the train are not professional, but nice young men. Should have some system to separate those serious for information, and those just along for the ride.
Richard, we appreciate your feedback. We're sorry you did not enjoy the meals included in your package. Thanks for riding the Starlight with us.
You are going to see some historic sites on the ride. The staff is very knowledgeable. We even got to see Venus and Jupiter on the way back.
Rodney, thanks for riding the Starlight with us. We're glad you enjoyed an amazing time!
Very relaxing. Did evening train ride. Don't eat late lunch like we did. With dinner choice we had plus charcuterie, we did not each much of our food, which is bad because the food is good any we didn't eat much!
Ken, we love to feed our guests! Thanks for riding and relaxing with us and sharing good feedback.
Be prepared to get lots of history stories, and the knowledge from everyone on the train. Had a blast
Wow, thank you, Patricia! We're glad you had such a wonderful time.
Be ready to take lots of photos if you have never been on a train, i over the top suggest this experience, it was epic.
Karla, thanks for your enthusiastic endorsement! We appreciate you riding with us.
The train ride was relaxing and the views were breathtaking!! An absolute must-do when visiting the area.
Emily, we love being considered a "must-do"! We're happy you enjoyed the ride!
Fantastic views and staff are awesome! Would recommend it to anyone. Best trip I’ve taken in a long time
Wow, thank you, Brett! We appreciate you riding with us and recommending us.
Josh and Anthony were a wonderful duo. Full of knowledge about the valley and they were able to express that knowledge in a manner that made you eager to learn the next new thing. I highly recommend this adventure to everyone
Calvin, we love that our crew inspired enthusiasm and you learned new things during the ride. Thanks for traveling with us and sharing this wonderful recap. We will share your shout-out with Josh and Anthony.
It was fun. I recommend the night train. Josh was our guide/ bartender and he did both really well. "T" on the outside cart was great also explaining the different area's. After the train got to the turn around point the ride back was relaxing under the stars where Josh was also an expert at what stars were what. Just an over all great time and great get away from everyday life.
John, thanks for heading out of town and relaxing with us on the Starlight! We appreciate your kind words for Josh and Trystin, We will be sure they see your compliments.
